A small pilot study tested whether a low dose of ketamine could increase hypnotizability in healthy volunteers who initially scored low on the Stanford Clinical Hypnotizability Scale. Ketamine, used clinically as an anesthetic and for depression, can produce dissociation and detachment similar to hypnotic states. Participants' subjective dissociation ratings and hypnotizability scores both moved in the predicted direction, but the results were not definitive. The findings suggest that further research is warranted to explore ketamine's potential to enhance hypnotizability.
Training in hypnosis (HYP) and mindfulness meditation (MM) produced lasting improvements in chronic pain for veterans, while an active education control (ED) did not. Veterans (N=328) were randomly assigned to eight sessions of HYP, MM, or ED. All three groups showed immediate posttreatment benefits in average pain intensity and secondary outcomes. However, at 3- and 6-month follow-ups, HYP led to greater decreases in pain intensity, pain interference, and depressive symptoms compared to ED, and MM led to greater decreases in pain intensity and pain interference at 6 months compared to ED. No significant differences between HYP and MM were found at any time point.